Category: Puppy Mills

The following post has been making the rounds on Facebook … couldn’t have said it better myself. And, yes, I own three dogs from responsible breeders. Dogs who have the qualities and characteristics that make an Apso “an Apso” … something that can’t be said about the dogs coming from the mills or backyard breeders. And, yes, I know this first hand from my work in rescue, taking in dogs that were produced in the mills and backyards. There really is a difference …

A big thanks to dog lover (and Facebook friend) Michelle Gonsalves, for this well worded commentary on “purebred dogs creating shelter dogs”. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Over the years there’s been a growing number of uninformed voices rallying against the wonderful LOVING world of dog shows and ANY form of dog breeding. We thank Michelle, and any other people brave enough to speak up on the subject!

I am NOT ashamed to be the owner of two responsibly bred dogs. Neither of my dogs killed a shelter dog. Neither of my dogs took a shelter dog’s home. Neither of them added to pet overpopulation. If I didn’t have them, I just would not have a dog.

Do you know what kills shelter dogs? Irresponsible owners kill shelter dogs. They kill them when they don’t do their research and add the wrong dog to the wrong household, then ditch it to die at a shelter when they can’t or don’t care to properly care for it.

Let’s not forget that in many breeds, it was responsible breeders who started their breed’s national rescue club. Not to save their own dogs (which don’t need saving), but to save the dogs that they never bred. To save the ones that don’t have safety nets. Responsible breeders did that. They did that in IGs [Italian Greyhounds]. I was interviewed more intensely to buy my two responsibly bred dogs than I ever interviewed a rescue candidate. I had supervised visitation … multiple times. I don’t even own them outright, they are on co-ownership, so that if anything ever happens to me they will go back to their breeder (yes, even the neutered one).

How do I know this will come to pass> I’ve seen her do it with another of her dogs when the owner died unexpectedly. And I saw her do it with my own dog when I nearly died myself. No questions asked, she opened her home to him for as long as I needed her to … potentially forever, if it came to that. Because that’s what responsible breeders do. And trust me, I researched until I found a responsible breeder.

Added to that, I am PROUD of the responsible breeders in this country who work SO hard to preserve our wonderful breed. Without them, the IG would be an unsound, neurotic, unhealthy creature. Not the elegant, sweet, healthy blessing that I love so much. Without responsible breeders, we’d never have gotten the amazing genetic health tests for enamel hypoplasia, the vonWildebrand’s test, the CDA test or the PRA test that are on their way. Without breeders, the domestic dog would CEASE TO BE! I do not ever want to live in a world without dogs. What a terrible place that would be, yet so many professed animal lovers are campaigning through shaming to create just such a world. Because that’s what it means when you say things like “adopt don’t shop,” “don’t breed while shelter dogs die,” and “people who buy dogs from breeders should be ashamed of themselves.”

What do you think will happen if we sterilize all dogs? What do you think will happen if all breeders stop breeding? You’d very quickly lose the rare breeds and the giant breeds FOREVER. Wait a bit more and you’d lose important genetic diversity, causing untold suffering for dogs that have to come from increasingly small gene pools. And then, the dog — man’s best friend — would become extinct. Gone the way of the Dodo. Gone forever. So shame on YOU! Shame on you for hating dogs!

I am not ashamed of my dogs. I am not ashamed of their breeder, who is an amazing person who has given so much of herself for this and other breeds. I am not ashamed of my extended family all around the world in the sport of dogs. And I am not ashamed of myself for daring to want a responsibly bred dog that fits my lifestyle.

Blaming me for the death of shelter dogs is like blaming a parent for the death of orphans in Uganda because she chose to have a baby through pregnancy, rather than adopt one. I have never surrendered an animal in my life. I have never caused the death of a dog in all my life. So why don’t you focus your ire on the people who did — the people who dumped those dogs at the shelter. They are the ones who left those dogs to die. Not me. Stop bashing your allies. Stop the shaming. We ALL need to work together for the good of dogs. Because there are scary people out there who want your dog gone. Who want your cat gone. Who want the horse out of your paddock, the guide dog out of his harness, the chicken out of the coop and the cow out of the dairy. Keep shilling their slick propaganda and shaming your fellow animal lovers and you help Animal Rights militants erase your dog from your very own home.

September saw Colorado in the midst of historic flooding. The images are hard to digest with deaths and massive destruction in the wake of five straight days of torrential rain. Many places — Loveland included — saw record amounts in 24-hour measurements and in total. Some experts are calling this a 500- or 1000-year event. Just west of town, the Big Thompson River carved a new path down the Big Thompson Canyon and destroyed or scoured Highway 34 to bedrock. Low lying areas many, many miles east of the mouth of the canyon were flooded as well. Even eastern Nebraska braced for flooding as the river continued its journey.

Andy … our puppy mill survivor … is now a flood survivor as well. He was being fostered in a home up the Big Thompson Canyon when the rains started. Luckily, the home is on high ground south of the river and sustained no damage. The bridge across the river to the small community, however, didn’t fare so well. By late Wednesday night, it was impassable and then simply sunk into the river. Which effectively left our foster home stranded with no electricity or cell phone coverage. With the loss of the bridge across the river as well as the road through the canyon, the only way out was to hike out and meet up with National Guard for transport to Loveland. Imagine going through your house trying to figure out what to pack, knowing you’ll most likely be gone for a minimum of nine months (takes a while to build a road and replace bridges). And it all had to fit in a backpack or suitcase. Oh, and don’t forget you’re hiking out with three dogs. Three small dogs. Three small dogs who, at different times during the trek, needed to be put in a backpack to continue and which included a river crossing. And one of those dogs a puppy mill survivor who was just now bonding with his foster family and learning to trust them.

Flooded Bridge

I’m advised that Andy did fantastic on the hike out … which is remarkable given what he was like when he arrived in rescue. The long-term product of a puppy mill, he had never been socialized and manifested major trust issues to the point of not allowing someone to touch him. To quote a friend, “What an incredible leap of faith … from puppy mill to loving foster home to flood on the Big Thompson to a hike out in rugged mountain conditions.” Once again, the resilience of the canine never ceases to amaze me.

Now staying with relatives in the metro Denver area, the future is a bit uncertain for John, Neil and the dogs, Ollie, Trey and Andy. Imagine having a home and vehicle and not being able to get access to any of it until next spring. And that’s only if the road up the canyon has been rebuilt within that time frame. Imagine trying to make a mortgage payment and a rent payment. Imagine living with only what you’ve been able to pack out. One day you’re watching the rain come down from the comfort of your home and the next day … one is basically homeless.

All except for Andy. Andy has found a new home. During a conversation with John who was updating me about what was going on, he slipped a fast one in. “We want to adopt Andy.” Not quite believing what I’d just heard, I said, “Come again??” “We want to adopt Andy … but we know our situation may not be the most stable and therefore not an approved home for adoption.” A bit of a surprise to me as I had just recently asked them if Andy needed to come back to Loveland to be fostered given everything they were dealing with!

Andy … “home” at last

“Where” is immaterial to Andy as it is not the walls that surround us that make a “home.” His home is where he has come to his full potential, found love and formed a bond. Home is where he is loved … and loves in return. To John and Neil … my undying thanks for taking Andy into your home as a foster. And then going one step further by taking him into your hearts. While I may have lost a foster home, Andy has found the greatest gift of all … a family to call his own.

Unknown to most of my readers, I took in two puppy mill survivors who were adopted by a family from a local shelter (“local” being a relative term here in the West). Unfortunately, the family was in a serious automobile collision necessitating emergency back surgery. Because of this … and the fact they lived in a second story apartment … they were no longer able to care for the dogs and get them in/outside.

Unlike our first mill survivors (MaeMae and McKenzie) who came to us at less than two-years of age, Andy (5) and Tess (6) had spent many years in the mill. They both bolt from their crates when the door is opened, like it’s on fire. To my knowledge, the only time Tess was handled (if one can even use that term) was when the miller reached into her cage, grabbing whatever body part he/she could to pull her out and then remove her puppies. Given that’s the only contact Tess had with humans, her behavior was like a wild, cornered animal. If one managed to get her picked up (and in the process sustaining long scratch wounds from her nails), she emotionally shut down. Her fear of handling by humans so great that she defecates on the spot, physically shutting down as her heart races and her eyes lose focus.

Separation from other dogs causes anxiety as well. She’s climbed a 24-inch exercise pen, a 30-inch exercise pen and a 27-inch baby gate. Contained in a crate, she managed to break a lower canine chewing at the door. Any anxiety causes her to soil her crate. Short of putting her in a 2×3 or 3×3-foot pen with a secure lid on it, there is no other way to contain her. Certainly that’s doable but then she’d be removed from the other dogs as space is an issue. Putting her in with one of my dogs doesn’t work because they get upset with her behavior.

That someone could do this to a dog — solely for for profit — just infuriates me. And it greatly saddens me because Tess could have been a sweet dog given even the littlest bit of handling and socialization.

When I first became involved in rescue, my mentor shared the following: “Some dogs are so damaged they can’t be fixed … some dogs are so badly damaged they shouldn’t be fixed.” After several consultations with my vet (who does rescue herself), a trainer, use of an anti-anxiety drug and a course of Rescue Remedy, we came to the conclusion that her psyche is so damaged she will never accept handling. Her fear is so great that she is miserable, living on the fringes and scurrying away from humans. I also had to accept the fact that if I … an experienced rescuer and dog owner of some 28+ years … could not handle/manage her behaviors, then she was not, by any definition of the word, adoptable.

I have cried over no less than seven dogs on the euthansia table in my lifetime. Some my beloved, long-time companions; others, badly-damaged fosters, victims of circumstance or greed. It never gets any easier even when we know it is the right thing. Godspeed Tess … I hope you can, at last, find the joy that eluded you here on earth.

The next time you see a cute puppy in a pet store, remember Tess. Remember what was done to her, all in the name of profit. Remember that she wanted to be a good dog but didn’t have even the basic skills to interact with humans. Remember that there are thousands and thousands more like her, living in misery in the mills. So broken that they can’t be fixed by anyone. Remember.

Andy is one of the lucky ones … he’s making weekly progress, is learning to interact with humans and to play with his canine housemates. My deep thanks to John and Neil who said “yes” and took on the challenge.

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